Modular Furniture Object Construction System

ABSTRACT

A modular furniture construction set comprising multiple pieces that can be assembled in multiple ways to form temporary but stable forms that can be used for a variety of uses such as furniture, play structures, work surfaces, room partitions etc. With suitable dimensions and materials it is conceivable that this invention could be used to construct temporary or permanent housing. All assembly is done without the use of tools or fasteners and can be done by an individual person having no particular level of skill. The pieces are devised such that at least one embodiment of a complete assembly is a square cube.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Throughout history furniture has usually been designed for individual purposes i.e. a chair is for sitting and has a particular shape and size. A table is a flat surface with four legs and is used for eating or writing etc. Todays' world demands a unique solution for the problem of furnishing a space. Many people are looking for a non-traditional, less formal approach to furnishing their living spaces. Why not have a set of pieces that can be assembled in a variety of ways to create shapes that can be used for the various purposes that furniture serves. In fact, why not make the pieces so flexible that the uses are limited only to the users imagination? That is the concept behind this invention.

1. Materials

This invention can be fabricated of nearly any material suitable for the purpose i.e. having sufficient structural strength. Some possible materials are foam rubber or synthetic foams of any kind. These could and can be used to make the pieces soft yet firm enough to bear weight. Harder materials such as wood, metals, or any sort of hard plastic or masonry materials of all kinds can also be used. Not all materials may be suitable but this document does not preclude the use of any material.

2. Fabrication Methods

Subtractional or additional methods may be used. For example carving the shapes out of large blocks of material or using a three dimensional printer to print them one layer at a time. Adhering multiple pieces of material together would be another fabrication method. Using molds of the proper shape and size is yet another fabrication method. Any current or conceivable future method may be used to fabricate the system.

3. Prior Art

There are many examples of modular furniture patents that can be found in the database. Some examples are U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,911 A, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,312,984, 3,946,678, 1,163,460 2,848,273, 2,328,411, 4,672,696, 7,607,180, 7,685,655, 7,685,655 3,742,526, 3,742,526. However all of these are limited to one or two furniture types; for example a couch and chaise longue. This invention can be used to create essentially any piece of furniture and further, can be used to create objects that can be used for other purposes. A complete list of the prior art is contained in the Patent citation section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (PICTURES AND FIGURES)

The pictures consist of representations of the pieces of the set. They represent one way of forming the pieces but do not limit the formation of pieces that can be used. One of the features of the invention is that the set of pieces can be assembled into a square cube, useful for packaging and the ultimate structure that the pieces are capable of forming when used all together. Some combinations of the pieces are shown together in the figures forming useful pieces of furniture and one play structure. In this embodiment of the invention the pieces are made of foam rubber and covered with cloth. This is only one of many ways that the pieces could be made.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Pictures 1 through 12 depict the individual pieces of this embodiment of the invention. As can be seen, this particular embodiment has a total of 12 pieces. Each piece is either a pentacube(5 cubes)or a hexacube(6 cubes). A single cube is of the size depicted in the upper portion of picture 9.

FIG. 1 shows the system as it would come packaged for shipping. This is one of many ways in which the pieces can be formed into a square cube.

FIGS. 2-6 show how some or all of the pieces can be used to create useful objects, in this case various pieces of furniture. FIG. 2 is a bed. FIG. 3 is a chair. FIG. 4 is a table. FIG. 5 is a couch and FIG. 6 is lounger, or a couch for reclining.

FIG. 2 depicts a bed. The pedestals on the sides can be used to hold lamps and other things.

FIG. 2 uses all but piece 8 to form a platform that can be used, depending on the materials used, directly as a bed; if that material is soft, or as a bed frame if the material is hard. In either case a traditional mattress can be used on top of the platform.

FIG. 3 shows a chair. Two people could share this particular chair. Pieces 4 and 9 are used to create this chair.

FIG. 4 depicts a table. Shown with the chair from FIG. 3. Pieces 1,2,6,10,11 and 12 are used to create the table.

FIG. 5 depicts a couch, in this case an elaborate and imaginative seating arrangement.

Pieces 1,2,3,4,5,6,9,11,12 are used to create the couch shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 depicts a lounger or reclining couch. One person can recline and another one can sit.

FIG. 7 depicts a play structure using all 12 pieces.

FIGS. 8-11 depicts how structural purpose can change by rotating, repositioning or removing pieces 4 and 7.

FIG. 8 depicts a hybrid seating and table structure. All but piece #8 are used.

FIG. 9 depicts all the pieces of FIG. 8. Piece 7 has been rotated and repositioned to create a different structure with a seating divider.

FIG. 10 depicts an open middle structure to seat another person by removing piece 7.

FIG. 11 depicts a love lounge by rotating and repositioning piece 4. All but pieces 7 and 8 are used. 

1. A modular construction system consisting of multiple pieces capable of being assembled together to construct a wide variety of useful objects including but not limited to furniture, play structures, buildings, performance platforms, work surfaces and room partitions.
 2. The system described in claim 1 that is comprised of multiple individual pieces that are each polycubes. That is, each piece is made up of an integral number of cubes of dimension n where n is any spatial dimension.
 3. The system described in claims 1 and 2 that, when all of the pieces are used, can be assembled into a square cube with dimensions 4n×4n×4n.
 4. The system in claims 1-3 above that is made from any suitable material and fabricated in any conceivable manner. 